DATE: Wednesday, May 14, 1997               TAG: 9705140705

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   86 lines

EX-CATCHER FINDS A HOME ON MOUND LAWRENCE DOLBY (8-0) LEADS VA. WESLEYAN INTO DIV. III REGION TOURNEY.

Virginia Wesleyan's Lawrence ``Fella'' Dolby has done just what his coaches had in mind when they experimented with making a starting pitcher out of the former fulltime catcher.

He caught on. Fast.

Dolby, a senior who starred behind the plate at the University of Maryland for two seasons and caught all but two of Virginia Wesleyan's games last year, will take an 8-0 pitching record and 90-plus miles-an-hour fastball to the mound Thursday at noon, when the Marlins meet nationally top-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan to open play in the NCAA Division III South Region Tournament.

``Switching any positions is hard, so you know going from catching to pitching has to be tough,'' said Marlins pitching coach Chris Parsons, who did the reverse in the mid-'80s when he went from being an Old Dominion pitcher to a Chowan and Virginia Commonwealth catcher. ``What he's been able to do tells you what kind of guy he is.''

Dolby's hoping it has made him a signable kind of guy to pro scouts, all of whom passed on offering him a contract despite a successful - albeit circuitous - three-year college career behind the plate.

``We were dumbfounded when no one decided to even give him a shot,'' Parsons said.

As a freshman at Maryland, the 6-4, 205-pound Chantilly native started all but six of his team's 48 games and hit .298 with a team-high seven homers. The following year, he jacked his average up to .312, second among regulars.

But while Dolby was a hit on the field, he struck out in the classroom and became an academic casualty.

He spent a year working in a hometown lumber yard - ``Which made me realize I didn't want to do that all my life'' - before looking for another college. Dolby's father Lawrence led the search.

Parsons said taking the word of parents regarding prospective players in often a fruitless exercise, and admits he was just about to blow Lawrence Dolby off when he mentioned his son was the MVP of the Valley League, a Virginia college summer league too prestigious to be ignored.

``When he said that, I knew he wasn't full of it,'' Parsons said.

Dolby joined the Marlins in January 1996, started all but two games behind the plate and batted a team-high .391, and also picked up three saves while dabbling as the team's closer. But with the cost of attending Virginia Wesleyan - for Dolby, somewhere in the neighborhood of $14,000 - being prohibitive, at season's end he found himself on the move again.

The Marlins turned to another catcher, senior Chris LeMore. And Dolby spent the fall of his senior year attending classes at Northern Virginia Community College.

Replacing Dolby with LeMore would turn out more than adequately, as LeMore is hitting .373. But no one on the roster seemed capable of spelling ace pitcher Billy Kachuba, who finished his career last spring as the school's all-time leader in wins.

That is, until Dolby, frustrated at not impressing pro scouts as a catcher, inquired about returning to Virginia Wesleyan in a new role.

``I just thought I'd give pitching a chance,'' Dolby said. ``I thought I'd sign last year, but nothing happened. So why not? Besides, I like pitching better than catching. It's easier.''

Perhaps Dolby's just made it look easier. He enters the postseason as the Marlins leader in wins, won-loss percentage, complete games (six), strikeouts (44) and innings pitched (72) and has a 4.69 ERA. Oh, by the way, he can still hit. As a designated hitter, Dolby batted .414 with a team-high eight home runs and drove in 34 runs.

Dolby, 22, said he's still not sure if the switch in positions has made him more attractive to pro scouts. But the Florida Marlins invited him to a select pre-draft camp later this month.

Ironically, Dolby will bypass the Marlins camp, as he's getting married in Jamaica the same day. But he's prepared to let what he's done this season, and what he does in the post-season, speak for itself.

``They've seen enough,'' he said. ``I think I've had a good year. All I need now is a chance.''

MARLINS NOTES: Virginia Wesleyan's South Hampton Roads contingent is led by sophomore infielder Kevin Flanagan, the former Kempsville star who's hitting baseman/outfielder Shawn O'Dell (Indian River, .362, four homers, 28 RBI); senior outfielder Jim Shannon (Bayside, .377 average and a team-high 14 doubles); sophomore infielder Andy Wissinger (Tallwood, .333 and a team-high 31 walks); senior righthanded pitcher Billy Zyliak (Salem, 4-3, 3.52 ERA), freshman southpaw Jesse Ellison (Bayside) and freshman righthanded pitcher Benny Brent (Catholic). ILLUSTRATION: Virginia Wesleyan's Lawrence ``Fella'' Dolby hopes his

90-mph fastball will earn him a chance to play pro baseball.

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